Presentation is outstanding, as innovative use of nicely
drawn, anime-style cinema cutscenes between stages lays out a nice
and complex story. An excellent and memorable soundtrack rounds
out the rest of this unforgettable game.

With Ninja Gaiden for the NES, Tecmo decided to drop the arcade beat-em up style for a more graceful Shinobi feel, and it worked. The seven stages in Ninja Gaiden all are vastly different. Each brings with it great graphics and music. As said previously, the game’s innovative way of storytelling make it monumental. Even if it didn’t have it’s cut-scenes, Ninja Gaiden would still be remembered as one of the greatest games ever to be released on the NES. It’s definitely one of the toughest.

The game was good enough for Tecmo to release two sequels on the NES. Not only that, but Tecmo released all three games in a compilation cart for the SNES. The huge success of the series solidifies it as one of gaming's greatest. It's a must play for anyone who enjoys video games, even those who consider themselves "mainstream."

So be well warned ahead of time – this isn't the kind of game you can pick up and breeze through on your first try. Completing the adventure takes practice and patience, both of which you'll likely be willing to invest given the solid and satisfying fun factor of the core gameplay and, too, given that you'll want to see how the story ends. Getting to the next cutscene, seeing the next piece of the plot, was a motivation not used before Ninja Gaiden in 1989. That novel narrative nature, paired with the high degree of difficulty, made this first Gaiden game a hit. A hit that started Tecmo's most powerful franchise, and a hit that's certainly worth the asking price of 500 Wii Points to re-experience.

The more I play this game, the more it reminds me of Nintendo Batman. The platform, leaping-between-walls gameplay is very similar, but then, seeing as Batman was one of the best NES games of 1990, that can't be a bad thing. Shadow Warrior's graphics aren't quite as stylish as Batman's but they still do a creditable job. The sprites are detailed and well-animated, and the Tecmo Theater interludes help supply a lot of atmosphere. Shadow Warrior is probably the best arcade-style Ninja game on the NES, so anyone after some Shinobi-type shuriken shenanigans can't go wrong buying this.

Jaquio means to take control of the earth. A demon of monstrous proportions will rise from a 700-year slumber and a young man named Ryu Hayabusa wears the burden of their inevitable confrontation on his slight back. His father was killed by someone, or something, under the Jaquio’s deft, devilish influence, and so the letter delineating his mission, his gaiden, becomes two-fold. It even becomes three-fold later on in the proceedings, but to reveal that final theme would be criminal. And so, Ryu’s undertaking must involve both avenging his father’s murder and saving the unsuspecting world from an unspeakable fate.

There's no doubt that this is playable. It's great fun and very, very difficult. The frustration builds, but it only makes you want another go. The range of weapons available is enormous and the use of magic potions and recipes adds to the fun. Buy it if you're after a Shinobi-style romp, but fans of the arcade games will be gravely disappointed.

Overall, this game deserves notice due to its innovative use of cinema scenes and its ability to test even the most seasoned veterans' jumping and slashing skills. The game was immensely popular upon its release, and spawned two sequels and a re-release as part of the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for SNES years later. I recommend this game for players of intermediate and expert skill levels, although everyone should at least give it a try to test their skills. It's a part of history, and besides... Ryu needs our help!

While Ninja Gaiden rewards gamers that are aggressive, it also forces them to play wisely by punishing those that are too aggressive. Much like a ninja, you must move with care, move with precision, and move with a sense of urgency not found in most modern games. It’s old school gaming in its finest, and most frustratingly satisfying, form.

Yeah, Ninja Gaiden is pretty cool, though it’s nowhere near my favorite series for the NES. It has one standout blockbuster (Ninja Gaiden II), one solid, influential title (NG1), and one so-so ending (Ninja Gaiden III). But, much like with the original Legend of Zelda or Donkey Kong, one can’t deny Ninja Gaiden‘s impact on the gaming world at large; even if Ryu is Simon Belmont, ripped on speed, and wearing a ninja mask.

Ninja Gaiden has an unprecedented level of presentation, fantastic gameplay and an amazing soundtrack to round out the package. The last two stages are too cheap for my liking and while it does dampen the experience slightly the majority of the game is well balanced and an absolute joy to play.

Sure the game is hard but you will have the time of your life playing it. No matter how many times you’ll die, and trust me you will, you’ll come back for more. It can be unfair at times, but in every situation you can determine what you did wrong and fix it. At the end of the day that’s what matters most. This is not only one of the best NES games of all time but one of the top action games of all time. Everyone should play it, no questions asked.

There are some irritations - the respawning bad guys are a pain, while scaling higher sections using Ryu's wall-grab move is clumsier than I remembered - but for the vast majority of the time Ninja Gaiden is a fine example of the sort of solid, honest gameplay that retro gaming should celebrate.

Without 6-2, Ninja Gaiden would be at the top of my list of favorite 8-bit platformers. Instead, it has to accept a less satisfying position somewhere close to number nine. There's only so much a gamer can stand, even a gaming masochist like myself, and this game certainly pushes the envelop in terms of fiercely difficult gameplay.

Although the visuals have aged poorly, Ninja Gaiden still has plenty of gameplay and challenge. The musical score should be noted as one of the finest to be found on the NES. In terms of NES platform action, it doesn't really get much better than this!

So despite its flaws and "pull-your-hair-out" frustraton, Ninja Gaiden still proves to be a worthy title. The non-stop action is just plain fun and never gets boring. Although the two sequels that followed it fixes most of the problems here, this is still a great cartridge that should definetly be checked out. You may swear at the game a few times, but if you can stand the difficulty, you'll still have a good time nonetheless.

However, the key difference between this masochistically tough game and other masochistically tough games from this time period is that Ninja Gaiden doesn't use its difficulty level as a crutch. The underlying gameplay in Ninja Gaiden is good enough to keep you playing, no matter how many times it punches you in the face with some cheap enemy placement or completely insane boss fight. For those who like their classic games angry and challenging, Ninja Gaiden is one of the better examples of that style of game, because it's hard and it's fun. And ninjas are awesome.

The background scenery is a mixed bag. The city streets look plain, but later stages like the castle ruins and mine cart tunnels look very cool. Cinematic cut-scenes between stages tell an intriguing (but cheesy) tale of revenge, borrowing elements from more movies than I care to name. Interestingly, this game won an award back in 1989 for "best ending in a video game". Ninja Gaiden also features a kick-ass soundtrack that's sure to get the testosterone flowing. Once you exhaust all of your lives, "Game Over" appears of the screen, but it doesn't tell you your score, and that stinks. From there, you can hit the start button to continue on the current stage. Ninja Gaiden spawned a number of sequels, including a recent 3D version for the Xbox.

All in all, Ninja Ryūkenden is a hard and frustrating action platformer but, difficulty aside, its enduring popularity is due, no doubt, to moments of pure brilliance and creativity sadly sprinkled with irritating gameplay paradoxes.

It’s a pity, because this series is quite legitimately one of the most compelling ninja stories you’ll ever experience, and Ryu is a great character. It would have been great for more modern gamers to have enough of a reason to work through the genesis of the series.

While this game is nothing like it's arcade namesake, I would say it is a far better game, and one of the best versions of the title out... (although it is finally being redone on the SNES as was done in Super Mario All-Stars) Another must have for any NES owners library of titles.